


Liberated

by margaerystark



Series: In Chains & Liberated [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 00:26:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13155240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margaerystark/pseuds/margaerystark
Summary: A sequel to In Chains by rebeccavis





	Liberated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rebeccavis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebeccavis/gifts).



One of the first things Margaery had noticed about her Robb was his eyes - they were somehow both kind and piercing and had taken her breath away. Even when he was bruised and dirtied and hurting, she could see the man beneath the pain when he looked at her. His eyes were still a brilliant blue even now, but crinkled at the edges and somewhat sad when she sometimes caught him alone staring into the distance. They held nothing but happiness on the day he became her husband, however, welling with tears when they kissed beneath the trees in the godswood.

The ceremony was quiet and intimate with only her son and a septon in attendance to offer themselves as witnesses to the union. She was well-liked by most everyone in the capital, but no one cared that the queen regent was to be wed again at the age of forty and five. She felt glad, in a way, that she and Robb could do whatever they wished without having to worry about the approval of others.

Her whole life she had been scrutinized. At times it even felt as though her family was judging her every move. When Tommen’s reputation as king was soured due to his similarity to Robert, she had to be the one to pick up the pieces and ensure that the kingdoms were in good hands. After all, it was not as if she had Cersei’s help. Everything became so much easier when she gave birth to Jaime; she felt as though she finally had true purpose.

She'd taken in the bastards her late husband had left behind so that Jaime would have playmates... siblings that she could not give him. It was not as if she did not try, but each time Tommen came to her bed after their first son was born only resulted in harrowing miscarriages. After a few fruitless years of trying, they gave up.

She felt lucky that he did not want her in his later years as he fell ill with a disease that had spread throughout the brothels of King's Landing like wildfire. It was what killed him eventually; he shook and had violent fevers every night, and by the time he passed he weighed nearly half of what he did when he was healthy.

He only apologized to her on his deathbed, though she refused to hear his pleas for forgiveness. She held no ill will towards her late husband. He was forced into a marriage just as she was, and his loyalty meant little to nothing to her. After all, her own heart had belonged to someone else in their time of marriage, and Tommen had given her Jaime whom she loved with all of her heart despite his father's faults.

Jaime was good and kind and gentle - like Tommen in his younger years. She raised him on her own and declined the help of nurses. All of her brothers and cousins were in Highgarden, so her son became her new family. She taught him to take his first steps, to say his first words, to read and to write in both their native tongue and High Valyrian. She took him with her on outings into the city, and he was adored by both smallfolk and nobles alike.

He was more than prepared to become a king when his father died, undeterred by his young age and the wake of duties Tommen had left behind. She was fiercely proud of all that he did and found that the extent of his benevolence even managed to surprise her on several occasions.

It was the love she held for her son that encouraged her when she felt disparaged, and she often wondered what it was that had kept Robb going for so long while he was a part of the Night's Watch.

She knew he had always wanted to be a father, and it pained her more than she could hope to say that she couldn't give him children. Jaime and Robb got on well enough; they went on long hawking trips, sparred in the castle courtyards, and laughed together during meals, but her son was a man grown now, and she was certain Robb was more of a mentor and friend than a father to him.

When her moonblood did not come for a few months after their marriage, she became resolved to the fact that she would never have another child; it was around this age that her mother and grandmother had stopped getting their moonblood as well. It was why women were married so young and why they rarely ever remarried if their husbands died later in life.

Her husband told her again and again that he did not care that they could not have children together, but she still felt guilt and sadness that she could not seem to shake whenever she thought about it. One night he suggested that they might go to an orphanage and find a baby to raise together, and she'd dissolved into sobs, holding him close and whispering that she did not deserve him and his sweet heart.

His hopefulness seemed to infect her, however, even in her darkest moments. She felt so happy and young with him; they loved each other every evening and stayed up well into the night exchanging stories and sharing kisses. His time at the Wall had left him with many scars and injuries that she had to nurse, but she did not mind rubbing his back before they went to sleep and when they woke.

When she began to get sick in the mornings, he cared for her in return, holding her hair back out of her face and tenderly dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth. "I don't know why this is happening," she murmured before giving him a small, grateful smile, "No one else in the keep is sick."

"Perhaps we ought to take it easy and go to bed earlier," he suggested, giving a gentle chuckle.

She paused for a second, holding her breath. "I'm scared, Robb," she admitted with a sigh, "I don't like being sick. I want to be as healthy as possible so that I have many more years with you."

His expression grew more serious. "Oh, Margaery," he whispered, leaning forward to wrap his arms around her in an embrace, "We will get through this. We've gone through much worse things separately... And now we have each other."

"We do," she affirmed, nodding her head, "This could just be one of the consequences of infertility. My mother felt out of sorts for some time when she could no longer bear children... It's just funny how similar it feels to being pregnant."

Robb pulled back, quirking a brow. "Margaery, my sweet," he started slowly, looking hesitant, "Did you ever think that you might be?"

She blinked, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. "That's impossible. I haven't had a child since Jaime, and all of my other pregnancies... I lost the baby within the first few moons every time."

Her husband nodded, but she could see a glint in his eye that had become all too familiar to her; he was excited. "I haven't thought anything impossible since we've reunited," he said softly.

She dared not get her hopes up.

Her stomach grew.

Four months after their marriage, she could no longer deny that Robb's intuition was true. She was with child, by some miracle of the gods. Still, she hid her belly under loose gowns and asked her husband to leave her shift on when they made love, claiming embarrassment in recent weight gain. He seemed somewhat baffled by her request, but, like the gentleman he was, he honored her request, telling her he found her beautiful all the while.

She couldn't bear to break his heart if he found out they lost their child, and with her track record and age, she expected tragedy. She was so used to the disappointment and pain of miscarriages, but this felt different; she had made a baby with the man she loved with all of her being.

Everything changed the moment she felt the baby kick. Her husband was in the godswood praying when it happened. She practically ran to him, wordlessly reaching for his hands and placing them on her stomach. He looked at her, bemused for a second or two before the baby moved again, and then his eyes filled with tears as he pulled her into a hug.

She was overwhelmed with happiness, but in the back of her mind she dreaded telling one person, unsure of how he would respond.

Jaime had been the center of her world for so long, and though he was a man grown, she was worried of what he would think knowing that she did not love his father and was now going to have a baby born out of love rather than obligation.

She hid her pregnancy for as long as she could, even when Robb gently hinted to her that she ought to talk with her son. He would leave the decision up to her, she knew, and it hurt her to think about him wanting to shout the good news from the rooftops while she kept it to herself. His time at the Wall had seemed to make him a more patient man than when they’d first met, and she was grateful that he listened to her when she voiced her concerns and frustrations.

Jaime’s gaze lingered on her belly for far too long during supper one night, and she knew then that she could no longer keep the truth from him. She took him aside when they were finished eating, unable to help but smile when he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before she spoke a single word.

“My, how tall you’ve grown,” she noted, looking up at her son warmly, “I won’t lie and say it feels like only yesterday when I held you in my arms. It seems it’s been a lifetime since then… I never imagined I’d be married again.”

“Or that you’d be having another child?” Jaime queried, causing her to worry her lip despite the fact that he was giving her a soft, knowing smile, “I may not have a lot of knowledge or experience with women who are with child, but it has become somewhat obvious, Mother.”

She gently nodded her head. “Forgive me for not coming to you sooner,” she said quietly, “I did not know how… I am supposed to gain wisdom with years, but it seems I have none - not in a situation such as this. I am sorry, Jaime.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for... I just don’t know why you didn’t wish to tell me. I am so happy for you. You have been aglow these past few months. I haven’t seen you laugh or smile the way you do when you’re with Robb.”

“I did not wish to upset you… Jaime, sweetling, you still mean more to me than I can put into words. Nothing can ever change that-”

He held up a hand, and she went silent. “The one thing I have _never_ doubted is your love for me, Mother,” he said softly.

She gave a small sob then, stepping forward to wrap her arms around her son.

* * *

It had been nineteen long years since she had carried a child to term, and she half-expected her baby to come early, but nine moons passed without any problems. Giving birth was just as painful as she’d remembered, but this time she had someone to hold her hand through it all. No one even batted an eye when Robb insisted on staying with her when she started to cry out in pain.

Even through the ringing in her ears she could hear the maester announce that she had delivered a healthy baby girl just hours after the first sign of discomfort. She did not care who was watching as tears flowed down her face at the news and her daughter was placed into her open arms.

Everyone who had helped graciously left the birthing room and allowed the queen regent and her husband to have their new baby to themselves.

Margaery rocked her back and forth in her arms, marveling over her features. It was too soon to tell whether she would end up looking more like her father or her mother, but there was a small tuft of fluffy, auburn hair growing on her head.

It was difficult to tear her eyes away from such a wonderful sight, but she managed to do so to look up at Robb, almost letting out a laugh at the expression of awe he wore.

"Would you like to hold her?" she offered.

He slowly nodded his head, leaning in towards her before he seemed to change his mind, placing his face in his hands and dissolving into tears.

"Robb, my darling, what's wrong?" she asked, alarmed.

He sat up slightly, and she could see him visibly swallow the lump in his throat as his eyes fell on their newborn. "I didn't ever think... I mean, I dreamed of us... of us having children, but they were only dreams. You've given me the most wonderful gift, Margaery. She's... I didn't know such beauty could exist."

She wiped at her own tears, reaching her free to brush her fingers over her husband's cheek. "Neither did I," she admitted in a whisper.

He gave a gentle cough, regaining his composure and then reaching for his daughter, gingerly taking her in his arms and nuzzling against her forehead. "Gods be good," he breathed, hugging her to him and kissing the tip of her tiny nose, “I love her so much. I love _you_ so much.” He looked towards Margaery, giving her a smile.

“I love you, sweetheart,” she responded, her heart giving a leap in her chest as she watched him cradle their baby. She didn’t wish to blink in fear that it all would disappear before her eyes. Even with Jaime, her life had held so much sadness - at times more than she thought she could bear; she never thought she’d feel such joy.

“Thank you,” she added quietly, giving Robb’s arm a squeeze, “For making her with me.”

“Thank you for your unending love,” he murmured in return, “It was what kept me alive, even on the days when I felt like giving in. Even in the cold dead of night when my mind was trying to convince me that I had made you up. Even when I lost all else. You were always there, Margaery... And now we have a daughter together.”

“Aye, we do.”

She wasn’t sure how much time it would take her to assure herself that she wasn’t simply dreaming, but somehow in that moment she knew that she would have a long, long time with her husband and daughter and son to figure it out.

 


End file.
